Welcome to the Bottom 10, home of lame Ducks and busted losing streaks — SkimNews
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- Charlotte earned the #1 spot at 0-2 after a 41-9 loss at Ole Miss, with ESPN Analytics giving the 49ers just a 14% chance of winning at Appalachian State this weekend.
- Northern Illinois debuted at #2 after a stunning 28-24 home loss to FCS opponent Illinois State — prompting fans in DeKalb to ask, per the column, 'When does #MACtion start?' before realizing the Huskies now play in the Mountain West.
- Rutgers landed at #4 after being stunned by UMass in its opener and then losing at Boston College, and now travels to USC for a 'Big Ten regional rivalry' the column jokes has 'powered the Big Ten for 130 years.'
- Kent State is pocketing $1.3 million from South Carolina for its Week 1 loss and $1.9 million from Ohio State for traveling to Columbus this weekend — a $3.2 million cushion for an 0-2 start.
- UMass, the defending Bottom 10 champion and preseason top-bottom team, snapped a 16-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over Rutgers and Sacred Heart — its first consecutive victories in nearly three years.
- Oklahoma State ended a 12-game losing streak (and a 21-game skid against FCS teams) by stunning No. 6 Oregon, which had come off back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.
- ESPN framed those two streak-snapping upsets as proof of a 'Stranger Things' Upside Down in 2026, contrasting them with the steady losing that earned Charlotte, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, ULM and Sam Houston their Bottom 10 spots.
Why it matters: Kent State's $3.2 million in payouts from South Carolina and Ohio State for road losses is the column's most concrete material detail, illustrating how Power-conference paydays cushion even FBS's worst teams. Against that backdrop, UMass and Oklahoma State snapping 16- and 12-game losing streaks by beating Rutgers and No. 6 Oregon reads as the rare Bottom 10 storyline where losing teams actually came out on top.
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